For Lower LDL, Skip the Decaf

Published Online: Sunday, January 1, 2006

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A recent study from the Fuqua Heart
Center in Atlanta, Ga, shows that drinking
decaffeinated coffee can actually raise a
person's level of low-density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol
associated with cardiovascular disease
risk. The results of the study were presented
at a meeting of the American Heart
Association in November 2005.

The study, which was supported by the
National Institutes of Health, included 187
volunteers randomly assigned to 3 groups:
one group drank no coffee, one group
drank 3 to 6 cups of decaffeinated coffee a
day, and one group drank 3 to 6 cups of caffeinated
coffee a day. All coffee was prepared
in a specific way, and all subjects
drank it black.

After 3 months, the researchers found no
significant differences among the 3 groups
in most of the factors related to heart disease
risk: body mass index, blood pressure,
heart rate, total cholesterol, triglycerides,
high-density lipoprotein (the "good" cholesterol)
levels, insulin levels, and glucose
levels. Among those who drank only decaffeinated
coffee, however, there was a significant
rise in LDL levels and an increase in
apolipoprotein B, a protein that may be an
even greater indicator of heart disease risk
than LDL alone. Researchers suggest that,
in combination with diet, exercise, and
weight loss, eliminating decaffeinated coffee
from a patient's diet could lower LDL
levels by up to 30%.